Sten
Sten is a warrior of the Beresaad, the vanguard of the qunari race. He is a stoic and disciplined man with a strong code of honor, and how he treats others depends on whether or not they have his respect, which he does not give easily. He is a potential companion to the Warden. Sten is recruited in Lothering. Sten is voiced by Mark Hildreth. Background After the last truce, the qunari began sending missionaries and explorers into the southern lands, and Sten may in fact be one of those. If he trusts the Warden enough, he will reveal that he was sent with a group of other qunari to discover what the Blight is. His group was attacked by darkspawn, many of them slain. When he awoke, his comrades were dead and his sword gone. To a qunari, the sword is the soul. If he were return to his homeland, he would be killed. Out of rage from losing his sword, he murdered the farmers who woke him with his bare hands. The infidel ways are not his, and if he needs forgiveness for his crimes it is a matter of qunari honor and not of human law. Involvement The Warden can choose to have Sten join the party when Sten is found in a cell in Lothering. Sten is a strong, proud and noble warrior who refuses to elaborate on his people, his predicament and most of his comments are brief. He is a strong believer in women having a place that doesn't include the battlefield but will finally admit to being surprised by the Warden and their skills only towards the end of the main quest. If Sten is in the active party when they reach Haven, he will attempt to overrule the warden and gain control of the group as he tires of the aimless wandering around. Note -- There are several ways to have Sten join the party. If the Warden has the coercion skill and a high strength (intimidation) or cunning (persuasion) the Revered Mother can be convinced to give the Warden the key to Sten's Cell. If Leliana is in the party, the Revered Mother will give the keys to her instead (some skill in coercion may be necessary regardless). The lock on his cell can also be picked (unknown what level of lockpicking is required). If Sten is not rescued from his cell before the party leaves Lothering, he will die when the darkspawn destroy the settlement. Quests Given Sten's Lost Sword Initial Statistics Class: Warrior Specialization: None to start with Starting Talents: Warrior: Powerful, Threaten, Precise Striking, Taunt Two-Handed: Pommel Strike, Indomitable, Sunder Arms, Mighty Blow, Powerful Swings Strategy Fill out Sten’s Two-Handed school as soon as possible and capitalize on some of the top-tier talents quickly, which will seriously increase his damage potential and make him an excellent damaged oriented companion. As with rogues, Sten should allow the tank to control enemy mobs and then attack from the rear or flank. Because Sten is so durable, he doesn’t have to watch his spacing as much as a rogue, and he can off-tank if the player needs him to grab a creature that the tank can’t hold threat on. His skills are best used with heavy or massive armor and two-handed weapons, and crossbow suits for ranged attacks. Quotes * "If I were indeed hostile, you would be bleeding." * "I cannot go home. In any case, I did not come here to console weepy Grey Wardens." * "I like swords, I follow orders; there's nothing else to know about me." * "Either you have an enviable memory, or a pitiable life, to know nothing of regret." * "You Called?" * "No." * "No one has a place here. Your farmers wish to be mnerchants. The merchants dream of being nobles, and the nobles becomes warriors. No one is content to be who they are." * "Happiness is Fragile Nothing can be built upon it that will last. Only duty endures." * "There is... the food is interesting" * "Ferelden smells of wet dogs." * "Isn't it the nature of a wound to bleed?" * "There are many thousands of bee's here" Dialogue *'Warden' : "Cookies?" *'Sten' : Yes! we have no such things in our lands. This should be remedied -- *'Warden': "Elves have strange powers." *'Sten': "Being easily conquered does not constitute a 'power'." -- *'Warden:' "Tell me about the Qunari." *'Sten:' "No." *'Warden:' "What? Why not?" *'Sten:' "You cannot define people in the manner of the elves are a lithe, pointy eared people who excel at poverty." -- * Warden: "What were you doing in the cell?" *'Sten:' "Sitting, as you saw." -- * Sten: "I don't understand. You look like a woman." * Warden: "Are you flirting with me, Sten?" * Sten: "Flirting? I don't know this word. Speak the common tongue." -- * Sten: "I don't understand. You look like a woman." * Warden: What's not to understand about that? * Sten: "You are a Grey Warden. So it follows that you can't be a woman." * Warden: "Why not?" * Sten: "Women are priests, artisans, shopkeepers, or farmers. They don't fight." * Warden: "That's not a universal truth. Some women fight." * Sten: "Why would women ever wish to be men? That makes no sense." * Warden: "They don't wish to be men. They wish to be women who fight." * Sten: "Do they also wish to live on the moon? That's as attainable." * Warden: "I'm a woman, and I'm fighting." * Sten: "One of those things can't be true. A person is born: qunari, or human, or elven, or dwarf. He doesn't choose that. The size of his hands, whether he is clever or foolish, the land he comes from, the color of his hair. These are beyond his control. We do not choose, we simply are." * Warden: "But a person can choose what to do." * Sten: "Can they? We'll see." Trivia *Sten is only the first syllable of his name, which he does not bother using in human lands because it is difficult for non-qunari to pronounce. *Sten loves cookies and once even stole some from a child, claiming that he was relieving the child of spoils. * Sten is very fond of paintings, which are the key to increasing his approval rating. * The Qunari believe that mages should have their tongues cut out and Sten compares them to mindless beasts but not completely as he says "Beasts eventually learn." See also Category:Characters Category:Companions Category:Non-Playable Races